Pitching machine



Aug. 11, 1936. H. BECKSCHULTE 2,950,414

PITCHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 11, 1934 3 sheets-sheet 1 MAW/71F MM AJW/ZWFJ J j ThK 1936- H. BECKSCHULTE 2,050,414,

PITCHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 11, 1934 s Sheds-Sheet 2 v g- 1936- H. BECKSCHULTE 50,

PITGHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 11, 1934 3 ShQQtS-Sht 5 Patented Aug. 11, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PITCHING MACHINE Application October 11,

9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in pitching apparatus of the kind commonly employed for use in pitching kegs, barrels or other containers.

The objects of this invention are to provide an apparatus of this kind by means of which the operations of pitching containers may be more easily and efficiently carried out; also to provide an apparatus of this kind with means of improved construction for melting and removing the old pitch in a container prior to repitching the same; also to provide an apparatus of this kind with means, whereby products of combustion from a pitching apparatus can be used for melting old pitch within a container.

Qther objects of this invention are to provide improved means for removing the fumes of the pitch after the pitching of a container; also to provide an apparatus of this kind in which the pitch fumes may be removed from a freshly pitched container by discharging products of com bustion into the same,

Further objects of this invention are to provide a pitching apparatus with a combustion chamber into which a kettle or container for pitch extends, and in which the heat contained in the products of combustion after heating the kettle may be utilized for depitching containers; also to provide the combustion chamber of a pitching apparatus with a coil or duct through which the products of combustion pass after they have contacted with the kettle, to impart additional heat to the products of combustion for melting old pitch in a container; also-to improve apparatus of this kind in other respects herein after specified.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a pitching apparatus embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view thereof on line 2-2, Fig. 6. V

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, sectional plan view thereof on line 3-3, Fig. 6.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, sectional view on an enlarged scale on line 44, Fig. 1, showing a nozzle for discharging heated products of combustion into a container for depitching,

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the nozzle shown in Fig. 4 and showing the positions of the parts when the container is removed from the nozzle.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of my improved pitching apparatus, on an enlarged scale, on line 6-6, Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional elevation on line |-'l, Fig. 1.

1934, Serial No. 747,911

Fig. 8 is a central sectional elevation of a com bined pitch spraying and defuming nozzle.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the combined pitching and defuming nozzle and the mechanism for rotating the same. 5

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary elevation showing the gearing connecting the motor shaft and the shaft which imparts rotary movement to the pitching and defuming nozzles.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view on an 10 enlarged scale on line ll-l I, Fig. 1 showing the means for moving the pitching and defuming nozzle into and out of its operative position.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to the upper portion of Fig. 11 but showing the parts of the mechanism in different positions.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary section on line |3l3, Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a section on line I l-l4, Fig. 8.

The improvements forming the subject matter of my invention are shown in the accompanying drawings as applied to a well known type of pitch ing apparatus, but it will be understood that this apparatus is shown only for the purpose of illustrating the application of my invention to a complete pitching apparatus and it is not intended hereby to limit this invention to be used only in connection with the particular type of pitching apparatus shown, since it will be obvious that my improvements may be applied to any desired type of pitching apparatus.

The pitching apparatus includes the usual pitching kettle A containing a pump B having discharge ducts l5 for the liquid molten pitch and which lead to the pitch spraying nozzles. The centrifugal pump may be driven by means of a motor I6 through a suitable drive shaft I! connected by means of beveled gears shown in broken lines in Fig. 1, with the upright shaft of t the pump B. X represents the kegs or containers which are operated upon. The kettle A, the pump and the driving mechanism therefor have heretofore been used in connection with pitching apparatus and of themselves form no part of this invention.

The pitch kettle extends into the top of a furnace or combustion chamber in which fuel of any suitable kind may be burned to heat the kettle and the pitch contained therein.

The combustion chamber or furnace may be provided on its exterior with a suitable shell H! which may be made of sheet metal and a lining 20 of fire brick or other refractory and heat insulating material is preferably provided. In the particular construction shown, the combustion chamber is heated by gas, and a series of burner pipes 2|, 22 and 23 are shown which have apertures through which the gas may be discharged, these burner pipes receiving gas from a feed pipe or conduit 24 arranged on the exterior of the combustion chamber and the supply of fuel may be controlled by means of suitable valves 25. It will be understood, however, that burners for oil or other liquid fuel may be employed, or if desired, solid fuel may be used for heating the combustion chamber.

The necessary air for supporting combustion preferably enters the lower part of the combustion chamber through a series of air openings or ports' 26 in the bottom of the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber is provided near its upper portion with a flue 21 for the products of combustion and this flue connects with a chimney 28. The hot gases discharged from the flue 21 may be conducted directly to suitable depitching nozzles, or if preferred, these flue gases may be heated to a still higher temperature to facilitate the removal of old pitch from the containers and in the construction illustrated, an arrangement for adding heat to the flue gases is shown. For this purpose, the chimney 28 is provided with a downwardly extending portion 29 terminating in the inlet of a fan or blower 30 having a discharge duct 3| which extends through an aperture in the outer wall of the furnace or combustion chamber and terminates in an upright passage 32 leading to a reheater arranged in the combustion chamber below the pitch kettle A. This reheater may be of any suitable or desired form and is shown as formed of refractory material which becomes heated from the flames of the burners 2! and 22, which are located below the reheater structure. This reheater has a passage or duct 33, one end of which connects with the upright passage 32 and the other end of which connects with a passage 34, which is circuitous and terminates at its other end in a discharge duct 35 for the heated products of combustion.

The flue pipe 21 is provided with a downwardly extending air inlet pipe or duct 36 controlled by means of a valve or damper 31. The flue pipe 21 also has a valve 38, and a valve 39 is provided in the chimney 28. An additional valve 40 is provided in the portion or extension 29 of the chimney leading to the air intake of the fan 30. By means of these various valves, it will be clear that'either products of combustion or a mixture of products of combustion with outside air may be supplied to the reheater in the combustion chamber. When these dampers are set as shown in Fig. 6, it will be obvious that only products of combustion will be passed through the reheater. By partly opening the damper 31 outside air may be admitted through the flue pipe 21 so that a mixture of products of combustion and outside air will pass to the blower. In order to use the combustion chamber for a preliminary heating of the kettle A and the reheater, the dampers 38 and 39 are open and the dampers 31 and 40 are closed, and the fan is not operated, in which case the products of combustion will pass out through the chimney. After the pitch has been melted and the walls of the reheater raised to the desired temperature, the use of the pitching apparatus may be started, and the motor 46 which drives the blower is then started and the dampers may be set into the positions shown in Fig. 6. If the products of combustion discharged into the containers are too hot, the dampers 31 and 38 may be regulated as desired.

The reheater shown has a lower arch shaped wall 4| and an upper substantially flat wall 42 and a series of upright walls 43, all of these walls being arranged to form the passages 33 and 34 in the reheater. The reheater is spaced from an end wall of the furnace or combustion chamber forming a space 44 through which products of combustion from the burners 2i and 22 may pass to the space above the reheater into contact with the kettle A. The reheater may also be provided with an upright passage 45 in which the burner pipes 23 are arranged, so that heat from the burners 2| and 22 may also pass through the passage 45 to heat the kettle A. One or the other of these passages 44 and 45 may, however, be omitted if desired, and a reheater of other construction may be provided.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, the duct 35 leads to a pair of branch pipes or ducts 56 and 51 terminating in nozzles for discharging gas heated in the reheater, which gas may be products of combustion or a mixture of products of combustion and air, to containers X and another branch pipe 52 is provided which extends toward the other side of the pitching apparatus and discharges products of combustion through another pair of branch pipes 53 and 54 leading to another pair of discharge nozzles. The discharge nozzles may also be of any suitable or desired form, and

in the construction illustrated, consist merely of short lengths of pipe 56, the lower ends of which connect with one or other of the ducts to receive hot products of combustion therefrom. Each nozzle 56 also is provided with a support for a container, the support 51 shown being in the form of a pan or receptacle for receiving pitch discharged from a container. The receptacle is so formed at its upper open end as to support a keg or container X and is provided with a discharge opening 58 near the lower end thereof for the melted pitch. Near its upper portion, the support is provided with openings 59 through which products of combustion discharged from the container through the bung hole y therein may pass. Consequently, when a keg or container is placed into operative position on the container support or receptacle 51 so that the discharge nozzle 56 extends into the bung hole 1 of the container, hot products of combustion will be blown into the interior of the container and, after heating the pitch lining of the container, will be discharged through the bung hole about the nozzle 56 and will pass out through the apertures 59 in the container support 51. When the pitch within the container becomes sufficiently heated to liquefy the same, it will also run out through the bung hole 1 about the nozzle 56 into the receptacle 51 from which it is discharged through the aperture 58.

Means are preferably provided for automatically interrupting the flow of heated products of combustion with or without admixture of air through the nozzle 56 when the container is removed from its support 51 and for automatically discharging heated products of combustion into the container when it is positioned upon the container support. Any suitable or convenient means may be provided for this purpose and in the construction shown, each branch pipe leading to a discharge nozzle 56 is provided with a damper or valve 60 having a pivot pin 6| extending through the branch pipe and having a crank arm 62 secured thereto. The crank arm 62 may be pivotally connected to a rod 63, the upper end of which extends into a position to be engaged by a: container positioned on the support 51 For this: purpose, the rod 63 may be. slidably mounted on brackets 64 and a. spring. 65 engaginga collar 66 secured to the rod 63: normally urges the rod into its upper position, as shown. in Fig. 5, in, which. position the valve 80 is closed, In. this closed position, the upper end of the rod 63 also extends upwardly beyond the upper edge of the container support 51, and consequently, when acontainer is positioned upon the support, the rod 83 will be moved downwardly into the valve: opening position as shown in Fig. 4-.

After the old pitch has been removed from the containers by means of the mechanism which has been described, they may be placed in operative relation to either of the two pitching nozzles l0 which are arranged over the pitch kettle A. These nozzles are hollow and are provided at their upper ends with slots H through which the pitch may be discharged and the nozzles are pro-- ferably rotated while pitch is discharged through. the same. Any suitable means for rotating the. nozzles may be provided, and in the construction illustrated, this is preferably accomplished through suitable gearing driven by the same motor I6 which also operates the. pitch pump B. The shaft ll of this motor has a gear I3 mounted thereon, see Figs. 9 and 10, and this gear meshes with an idler gear 14, which in turn meshes with a gear 15 mounted on a shaft 16., The shaft 16 has two Worms Tl secured thereto and the pitching nozzles 10 have worm gears 18 secured thereto so that the nozzles may be rotated from the motor shaft when the gears of the nozzles 18 mesh with the worms H.

The nozzles 10 are arranged to be moved vertically inwardly and outwardly with reference to the containers and for this purpose, each nozzleis provided with a guide member 88- suitably mounted on the cover or top 8t of the pitch kettle. The guide support 80 is also provided with a channel 82, which in turn connects with a pitch discharge duct I5. leading from the pitch pump B. The nozzles are closed at their lower ends, for example, by means of screw plugs 83 :the pitch passage 82 in the guide bracket 8.8, so

that pitch from the passage 82. will flow into the hollow interior of the pitching nozzlev I0 and will consequently be discharged through the slot H in the nozzle. When a nozzle is in its elevated positon as shown in the right hand side of Fig. 6, its

Worm gear 18 meshes with a Worm 11, so that the nozzle while discharging pitch is also being rotated about its vertical axis. When a pitching nozzle is in its lower or non-pitching position as shown in the left of Fig. 6 and in Fig. 11, the gear I8 of such nozzle moves downwardly out of engagement with the worm l1, and the slots 84 also move down below the guide bracket 88, so that molten pitch contained within the nozzle may discharge out of the slots 84 into the kettle A.

The pitching nozzles may be raised and lowered in any suitable or desired manner, and in the construction illustrated a handle 86 is provided for each nozzle, which extends into the pitch kettle A as clearly shown in Figs. 11 and 12, and which is movably secured to the lower end of a pitching nozzle. The handle is provided with a pin 81 which may rest upon a shoulder 88 formed on one end of a lever 89 pivoted at 90. An arm 9! of the lever extends into a position to be engagedby a container placed in operative relation to. the pitching nozzle. When this lever is swung by'the weight of the container X, the pin 81 may rest on the shoulder 88. When, however, the container X is removed from its position over a pitching nozzle, a counterweight 92 of the lever 89 causesthis lever to move into the position shown in Fig. 12, in which the pin 81 will be disengaged from the shoulder 88, thus causing the handle 86 to drop and lower the pitching nozzle to avoid thespraying of molten pitch when a container is not in a position over the nozzle. Preferably, the weight 82 has a notch 93 which engages with the pin 8? when the lever 89 is in the position shown in Fig. 12, in which case the handle 86 cannot be moved upwardly until a container is again placed in operative relation to the nozzle I18. 94 represents a guide strap for the handle 86., Any other means for actuating a pitching nozzle may, however, be employed in place ofthose described. Each of the pitching nozzles is preferably provided with means whereby a defuming agent, such as air or products of combustion, may be discharged into a container after pitching to remove fumes. remaining in the container. In the particular construction shown for this purpose, each pitching nozzle is provided with a second passage or duct 85 formed therein and which opens at its upper end in the outer end of the pitching nozzle and the lower end of which has a lateral opening 96 ina side wall of the nozzle. This lateral opening 96 is adapted to register with a stationary passage 91 formed in a second bracket 98 for the pitching nozzle. The passages 91 and the lateral opening 95 of the air duct 95 are so arranged relatively to each other as to. be in registration only when the pitching nozzle is in its lowest or non-pitching position. Air or products of combustion may be supplied to-the duct or passage 91 in any suitable or desired manner. In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 6, a tube or pipe I I80 leads to the passage 91 in the bracket $8 and is provided with a valve Iill which may be actuated in any suitable manner when it is desired to admit a defuming medium into the container. This pipe I09 is connected in the particular construction shown with a pipe I82, which in turn connects with a duct carrying hot products of combustion. The pipe I08 may alsobe connected with a second pipe I03 from a source of compressed air, not

nozzles of ducts for a defuming medium, the

operation of the apparatus is materially simplified since the two operations of pitching and defuming can be carried on without moving the keg or container from one nozzle to another. Upon the completing of the pitching, the container can be instantly defumed by actuating the valve IIlI I claim as my invention:

1. In a container pitching apparatus, the combination of a combustion chamber in which fuel may be burned, a kettle for pitch extending into said combustion chamber, a nozzle adapted to extend into a container, a heater duct in said combustion chamber and adapted to receive products of combustion after the same have been exposed to said kettle, and means for discharging products of combustion from said heater duct to said nozzle.

2. In a container pitching apparatus, the combination of a kettle for pitch, a combustion chamber into which said kettle extends and in which fuel may be burned, a heater duct arranged in said combustion chamber, a blower for withdrawing products of combustion from said combustion chamber and passing the same into said heater duct, and means for discharging products of combustion from said heater duct into a container, for melting pitch within said container.

3. A container pitching machine having a nozzle through which molten pitch may be discharged into a container, a pump for discharging pitch to said nozzle, means for moving said nozzle lengthwise into a container into a position to receive pitch from said pump and discharge the pitch into the container, and into another position in which the discharge of pitch to said nozzle is interrupted, a duct in said nozzle through which a defuming agent may be discharged into a container, and means actuated by the movement of said nozzle into a position to interrupt the discharge of pitch for admitting a defuming agent to said duct only when said pitching nozzle is disconnected from the supply of molten pitch.

4. In a container pitching machine, a combination of a nozzle having apertures in a side thereof, a part surrounding said nozzle and having a passage through which molten pitch may pass, means for moving said nozzle in a direction for inserting the discharge end thereof in a container, said apertures in the side of said nozzle registering with said passage when said nozzle is in its inserted position, means for rotating said nozzle during the discharge of pitch therefrom, a duct in said nozzle through which a defuming medium may be passed into said container when said nozzle is in position to interrupt the discharge of pitch.

5. In a pitching machine, the combination of a hollow discharge nozzle for molten-pitch, guide means in which said nozzle is mounted to move inwardly with reference to a container to be pitched, a passage for pitch arranged in said guide means, apertures in the side of said nozzle adapted to register with said pitch passage in said guide means for permitting pitch to be discharged through said nozzle when said apertures are in operative relation to said passage, a duct in said nozzle terminating at one end in the discharge end of said nozzle and terminating at its other end in a side of said nozzle, and a passage for a defuming medium arranged to be in registration with said duct in said nozzle when said nozzle is in a position in which said apertures in the side thereof are out of alinement with the pitch passage in said guide means.

6. A pitching nozzle having a passage therein for pitch and a duct for a defuming medium, both said passage and said duct terminating in the outer end of said nozzle, means for moving said nozzle inwardly and outwardly relatively to a container, means for supplying pitch to said nozzle when the same is moved into a container, and means for interrupting the supply of pitch to said nozzle when the same is moved outwardly relatively to said container, and means for supplying a defuming agent to said nozzle when the same is moved outwardly relatively to said container.

7. In a container pitching apparatus, the combination of a substantially closed combustion chamber in which fuel may be burned, a kettle for pitch extending into said combustion chamber, a heater duct in said combustion chamber, means for passing products of combustion from said combustion chamber through said duct for imparting additional heat thereto, means for adding outside air to the products of combustion passed to said duct, a nozzle adapted to be inserted into a container, and means for discharging gases from said heater duct to said nozzle for melting pitch within said container.

8. In a container pitching apparatus, the combination of a substantially closed combustion chamber in which fuel may be burned, a kettle for pitch extending into said combustion chamber, a heater duct in said combustion chamber, a passage leading from said combustion chamber to said duct and having an inlet for admitting outside air into said passage, means for regulating the admission of outside air through said inlet to said passage, and means for discharging gases from said heater to a container.

9. A nozzle for spraying pitch into the interior of a container, said nozzle having a passage for pitch and a duct for a defuming agent, both said passage and said duct terminating at the end of said nozzle, means for rotating said nozzle to discharge pitch to all parts of the interior of the container, means for supplying a defuming agent to said duct in said nozzle only when the supply of pitch to said nozzle is interrupted, and means for moving said nozzle in the direction of its length for placing either said passage or said duct into position to receive pitch or defuming agent respectively.

HEINRICH BECKSCHULTE. 

